Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Extra credit should not come with a price tag

Students who can pay for an A put less privileged classmates at a disadvantage
Extra+credit+should+not+come+with+a+price+tag
Elliot Moormann

I am currently enrolled in Communication Sciences and Disorders 210, a class on the neural basis of communication. This is a challenging course, attracting everyone from first-year students to seniors, from those majoring in communication sciences and disorders to students simply looking to fulfill and intermediate science credit requirement.

The course also offers extra credit – a rarity among college-level courses and something most students want to take full advantage of. The extra credit options include writing papers on research, a book and a documentary, as well as becoming CPR certified and joining the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders.

CPR certification courses can cost nearly $100 if they cover the full breadth of first aid, CPR and AED use. Additionally, joining the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders requires a donation of at least $10.

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https://badgerherald.com/opinion/2017/03/07/while-well-intentioned-uw-math-course-packets-ultimately-cost-students/

These extra credit options are extremely inaccessible if students cannot afford them. Asking undergraduate students to spend more than $100 on extra credit for a class is absolutely absurd. One of my classmates was talking about signing up for a CPR class at the expense of making rent this month – all because they wanted the extra credit. This is not a choice students should have to make.

While many student organizations on campus offer free or reduced-cost CPR training, they often reserve class slots for their own members. Additionally, the instructor offered the option to join other organizations similar to the National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders, but did not provide a list of acceptable alternatives that did not require a fee to join.

I have reached out to the instructor and she is open to offering no-cost extra credit options, but this is not something students should have to ask for. In talking to other students, I have learned dance and theater classes regularly require, or offer extra credit for, students to attend on-campus performances. Tickets for these performances usually cost $15. Students could usher for a performance if they are not able to afford ticket costs, but these positions fill up quickly, leaving many students paying for their extra credit.

https://badgerherald.com/opinion/2017/01/24/uw-receives-an-f-on-its-grading-system/

If you find yourself in a class that you need to pay extra in to fulfill an extra credit opportunity, I urge you to reach out to your professor and point out that the opportunity may not be accessible to all students. Professors should be willing to work with their students to find extra credit opportunities that do not require students to pay for them. Extra credit should be based on extra effort and motivation to do well in the class, not on a student’s ability to pay for it.

Rachel Dyer ([email protected]) is a senior studying psychology and neurobiology.

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